Wall construction



Apr 2l, 1936,. H. H. KELLER 2,038,115

WALL CONSTRUCTION l l Filed C. 23, 1955 BY E l g ATRNl-:Ys

Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT lOFFICE WALL CONSTRUCTION Harry H. Keller, Ventnor, N. J., assignor to'Bitting Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware This invention relates to improvements in building construction with particular reference to the walls thereof.

An important object of this invention is to profv vide an improved,.simplied and inexpensive form of non-load-bearing wall construction.

A further object in this invention is to provide metal baseboards and molding strips of channel form shaped to receive wall sections therebetween for the sup-port thereof.

A still further object is to provide baseboards and molding strips of this type which provide gauges for the plaster.

A still further object involves the construction of baseboards and molding strips whereby they may be readily secured in place and by their construction adapted firmly to grip and hold the wall board in place. c

These and many other objects as will appear from the following description are secured by means of this invention.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction and arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will be set forth in full detail in connection with the attached drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a vertical transverse cross sectional view through a non-load-bearing wall employing 301 the metal baseboard and molding strip of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross sectional view through the wall of Fig. 5 above the baseboard and looking downwardly.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse cross sectional View of a modified form of construction. y

Fig. 4 is a transverse., vertical cross sectional view` employing a metal strip in the form of a screed.

Mucheffort has been exerted in the improvement of building materials looking to more inexpensive and economical building construction. In many forms of modern buildings, the entire framework is of steel which supports all the building loads, with the result that the interior walls and the partitions are substantially non-loadbearing. The present invention is concerned with improvements in Wall and partition structures 50 adaptable for use in all places where the walls are not substantially load-bearing. The invention employs, in general, two basic elements.

The first basic element consists of improved features of construction of the panel or Wall sec- 55 tions themselves. The second basic element in- Volves the baseboard and molding strips which support the panel.

The baseboard and molding strips can be made of metal, nbre and all forms of moldable compositions. It is preferable that they be made of a springy material as will be apparent from the following description. l

In Figures l to 4, inclusive, are shown structures by means of which the panel sections may be held in place. In Fig. 1, the floor of a room is shown at 20 and ceiling at 2|. The baseboard strip is shown at 23 having a longitudinal raised central portion 24 running throughout the length of the strip. The sides of the channel may be given any desirable cross sectional shape to t into the architecture of the structure. The sides 23 and 26 have inturned edges, as shown. Along the top face of the side 26 are a plurality of openings 2'| through which cement or other suitable binding material may be introduced into the channel. Likewise, the edge 25 may be sprung back to permit introduction of the material. vIn other words, the openings may be employed'if desired or if the channel is flexible enough the sides may be sprung back to put the cement into place. The cement should be of suflicient fluidity so that the arms of the channel may spring back to position and properly center the panel section 22. Along the bottom of the channel are a plurality of openings 3| through which the cement may pass so as to bind the channel to the iloor. If desired, holes 32 may be provided in the bottom Wall of the channel so that it can be nailed, screwed, or otherwise secured to the oor 20. The channel is raised at the center as shown at 24 so that the Weight of the panel sections bearing thereon will tend to cause the side walls of the channel to spring inwardly and more rmly grip and hold the 'panel section. 'I'he baseboard channel as well as the molding strips may be made of some suitable spring metal to increase this action. The molding strip as shown at 29 in the general form of a U-shaped channel, may be given any desired cross sectional conguration to fit the architectural details of the building. At 33 are the plaster covered walls overlying the panel section. The molding strip may be likewise raised longitudinally at the center as shown at 3|) and the attaching nail or its equivalent 3| passed therethrough. 'I'he pressure exerted by the nail will cause the side Walls of the channel to spring inwardly when the raised portion 30 is under that pressure. This will aid in clamping the panel sections in place.

The modification of Fig. 3 is similar to that of Fig. 1 but in this case the baseboard strip 4| is of a construction adapted for use where the panel sections form the outer walls of a space. In other words, the baseboard 23 would be used lon walls between rooms and the baseboard 4l would be used on the outer walls of a room. As before, the channel 24 is raised at 42 to give the desired spring action and to provide a space for the cement 28 to collect thereunder, cement getting under the strip through openings as illustrated in Fig. 2 at 3|. The strip may be held in place by means of the nails 43, as shown. The molding strip is shown at 44 held in place by the nail 3. Another feature of the arrangement of Fig. 3 is that the panel sections 40 may be of sufficient thickness to provide a desirable wall without plastering or to provide a Wall which may be directly papered, painted or otherwise nished.

The arrangement of Fig. 4 shows the upper strip l'l in the form of a screed which provides means for attaching the panel sections in place at the top and in addition, is a thickness gauge ier the plaster walls 46. As previously mentioned, all of the features of Figs. l to 4, inclusive, may be used either with plain panel sections or with panel sections provided with vertical joint or edge strips.

It is, of course, apparent that the scope of this invention is in no sense limited to the type or material employed in the wall sections nor to the metal or material employed in the various joint and trim strips. Likewise, any suitable plastic material may be employed for use in the baseboards.

From the above description, it will be apparent that this invention resides in certain principles and features ot construction which may be readily varied by those skilled in the art without departure from the scope thereof. I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration, but rather the scope of the appended claims.

What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A wall construction as described comprising wall sections, a U-shaped metal baseboard having side walls enclosing the bottom edges of the wall, and a cementitious filling within the channel, said filling binding the channel to the floor through openings in the channel.

2. A wall construction comprising panel sections, a substantially U shaped single piece metal base channel member between the side walls of which the panel sections are supported, and a Substantially U-shaped one piece metal-shaped ceiling molding between the side walls of which the panel sections are mounted, the base channel being cemented to the floor.

3. A wall construction comprising panel sections, a substantially U shaped metal base channel member between the side walls of which the panel sections are supported, and a substantially U-shaped one piece metal channel-shaped oeiling molding between the side walls of which the panel sections are mounted, and means for securing the baseboard channel and the molding channel in place, the means for securing the baseboard channel including cement.

4. A combination as described comprising a panel section mounted vertically between a floor and ceiling, a preformed metal base channel strip, a pre-formed metal molding strip, each of said strips having flexible side walls between which the panel section is held, and means for securing the strips in place, said means including a plastic material with which the base strip is partially lled.

5. A baseboard construction comprising a substantially U-shaped channel strip of spring metal having its side walls bent back upon themselves, and having openings in the base of the channel for attaching it in place, at least one of the side Walls having a plurality of openings through which cement may be introduced into the channel.

6. A base channel of the type described made up from a single piece of metal into a substantially U-shaped main channel, the legs of the channel being turned inwardly intoI parallel spaced relation to form smaller channels, the base of the main channel having a plurality of openings therein and the base of one oi the smaller channels likewise having a plurality of openings therein.

7. A base channel of the type described made up from a single piece of metal into a substantially U shaped main channel, the legs of the channel being turned inwardly into parallel spaced relation to form smaller channels, the base of the main channel having a plurality of openings therein and the base of one of the smaller channels likewise having a plurality of openings therein, the base of the main channel being of curved cross-section to provide a longiiudinal ridge extending along the main channel.

8. A baseboard construction comprising a substantially U shaped channel strip of spring metal having its side walls bent back upon themselves, and having openings in one leg through which a cementitious material may be introduced into the channel.

9. A wall construction secured between the oor and ceiling of a building comprising panels, a channel member tting over the upper edges of the panels, means for attaching the channel member to the ceiling, a base channel member fitted over the bottom edges of the panels, the base channel member having openings at its bottom wall and cementitious binding material, the base channel member binding it to the floor through said openings.

HARRY H. KELLER. 

